Will the Primo Vascular System Finally Solve the Mystery of Acupuncture?

Background: Bonghan Kim, MD, initially introduced the "Bonghan System'' in the 1960s as the architectural framework for acupuncture meridians and points. It has taken researchers more than 40 years to duplicate his work and successfully describe this additional circulatory system within the body. Objective: The aim of this article is to describe how the now-renamed Primo Vascular System (PVS) relates to acupuncture. This article explores the research that has been completed to date on the PVS and comments on the possible relationship between the PVS and acupuncture. Conclusions: Even with >100 articles on the PVS, research is just beginning. A successful link between the PVS and acupuncture meridians and points could provide the explanation for acupuncture's effects-an explanation that skeptical Western medicine practitioners have long pursued. Small-animal studies dominate the current research, providing more information about the PVS but limiting the ability to unquestionably link the PVS to acupuncture. There is a tremendous need for further research aimed at unlocking the function and body map of the PVS in animals and humans as well as the relationship between the PVS and acupuncture.